Tank level indicators issue

[48Jim]

My tank level indicators on my 2012 Cougar 5th wheel read full most of the time, even when they are empty. Once in a while, at random, they read correctly. I had the dealer check all the connections and they could not find any ground or other connection problems. I think it is a faulty circuit board that has all the indicators on it. Any suggestions?

[JRTJH]

Jim

The status meter is most likely good and not your problem. In all probability you have the same issue as all the rest of us have with our holding tank sensors. They are simply two metal contacts mounted in a piece of plastic tubing. When water (or other material) rests between them, the contacts conduct and send a signal to the status meter to light the LED. Unfortunately, all it takes is a small bit of "waste material" to get lodged in the tube and touching the contacts and the sensor is "fouled" and will always send a signal to the status meter. If this happens with one of the sensors near the top of the tank, the meter will always read full, if it happens to one of the middle sensors, the meter will always read "partly full"

It doesn't take much more than a bit of a spaghetti noodle washed down the sink drain or a bit of toilet tissue flushed down the toilet to foul a sensor in any of the tanks. Fortunately, the gray tanks tend to have "cleaner" waste water and foul less often than the black tank, but all tank sensors can foul.

The best thing to do at this point is do a forum search on "cleaning waste tanks" or "tank sensors" and read some of the many posts about this kind of problem. There are some things you can do to help prevent the problem and some things to try to correct the problem, but remember, it only takes one bit of material to foul the sensor (even after you clean it) to create the problelm all over again.

There are some sensors that are less likely to foul, but they are not "foolproof" and there is a "rather expensive" ($100-200) system that attaches to the outside of the tank that doesn't touch the contents and is more reliable.

Essentially, it boils down to whether you want to spend the money or simply live with the problem. Most of us have learned to determine the status of our tanks in other ways and just ignore the status meter.

[48Jim]

Thanks John. I thought of the issue with the sensors but it is not likely in my case. This spring, the level indicators worked when I took the unit out of storage. It sat in my driveway for two weeks with no water added to any of the tanks and when I went to use it for the first time, all tanks read full. Plus, when the indicators go from empty to full, it happens at the same time on all tanks.

[JRTJH]

With that additional information, I'd suggest changing out the status indicator panel. If you're in warranty, the dealer should do it, if you're warranty has expired, you can buy a replacement from any number of places, Amazon, EBay, the dealership, online RV parts houses, etc.